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Shopping for asafercar2017Insurance Institute for Highway SafetyHighway Loss Data Institute
Selecting a safer vehicle is a lot easier than itused to be. Most new cars, minivans, pickupsand SUVs perform well in a range of crash testsconducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), as well as the federal government. Still, some models could do a better job ofprotecting people in rollovers, rear crashes andcertain front crashes. Crash avoidance technology is available on many mainstream and luxurymodels, so safety-conscious buyers also shouldlook for these systems when weighing options.Whether you are in the market for a new or usedvehicle, here are some things to consider: Vehicle size and weight matter. Smaller, lightervehicles generally offer less protection thanlarger, heavier ones. There is less structure toabsorb crash energy, so deaths and injuriesare more likely. People in lighter vehicles alsoexperience higher crash forces when struck byheavier vehicles. If safety is a major consideration, pass up very small, light vehicles. A crashworthy design reduces death and injuryrisk. Structure andrestraints help determine crashworthiness.Good structure meansa strong occupantcompartment, crumplezones to absorb theforce of a serious crash,side structure to manage the force of a striking vehicle or struckobject and a strong roof that won’t collapsein a rollover. Safety belts keep people in theirseats and spread crash forces across the upperbody’s stronger bony parts. Airbags protectpeople from hitting things inside the vehicle orobjects outside it.
VEHICLE RATINGSAND CRASH TESTSA good place to start your research is with vehicleratings at iihs.org. IIHS rates new models based onhow well they protect people in front, side, rolloverand rear crashes. IIHS also evaluates the performance of headlights and front crash preventionsystems with automatic braking. Models with thehighest ratings qualify for an IIHS safety accolade.To win either IIHS award, vehicles must earn goodratings in the small overlap front,moderate overlap front, side,roof strength and head restrainttests and also earn an advancedor superior rating for front crashprevention. To earn the highest award, TOP SAFETY PICK ,models also must have good- oracceptable-rated headlights.Check IIHS ratings for individualvehicles at iihs.org/ratings. Findresults of federal crash tests atsafercar.gov.
CRASH AVOIDANCETECHNOLOGIESProtecting people in crashes is vital. Avoiding themaltogether is ideal. Crash avoidance systems canhelp. Most automakers offer them on 2017 models.So far two features — front crash prevention andadaptive headlights — are reducing crashes, basedon HLDI analysis of insurance losses.Front crash prevention systems include forwardcollision warning and autobrake. Warning systemsalert you if you get too close to a car in front. Autobrake systems can brake if you don’t respond intime. Curve-adaptive headlights shift direction asyou steer to help you see better on curves in thedark. High-beam assist technology automaticallyswitches between high beams and low beams.Lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistand blind-spot detection are other technologiesintended to help drivers avoid crashes. So far, IIHSand HLDI haven’t been able to quantify their benefits.High-beam assist
Pedestrian detectionFront crash prevention with autobrakeFront crash preventionAdaptive headlightsGo to iihs.org/crash avoidance to find vehicleswith these features. To see headlight and frontcrash prevention ratings go to iihs.org/ratings.NHTSA also identifies models with advancedfeatures such as lane-departure warning and rearview cameras. Go to safercar.gov to learn more.
BUYING AUSED VEHICLEIf a brand-new car isn’t in your budget, keep in mindthat late-model vehicles in general are safer thanolder ones. Our list of recommended used vehiclesfor teenagers is a good resource for drivers of anyage (iihs.org/teenvehicles). Here are some tips forchoosing a previously owned vehicle: Frontal crashworthiness — Look for goodratings in frontal crash tests. Most newermodels earn top marks for frontal crashworthiness in the federal government’s 35 mphtest head-on into a rigid barrier and the IIHS 40mph moderate overlap test into a deformablebarrier. Many but not all late-model vehiclesearn acceptable or good ratings from IIHS forprotection in a small overlap front crash. Side crashworthiness — Choose a vehiclewith good side ratings plus side airbagsthat protect your head. IIHS and NHTSA ratemodels based on tests that simulate front-intoside crashes. The tests represent differentside-impact dangers. Drivers of vehicles withgood ratings in the IIHS side-barrier test are 70percent less likely to die in a driver-side crashcompared with drivers in vehicles rated poor.The majority of 2008 and newer models haveside airbags as standard equipment. Roof strength — Look for a strong roof.IIHS rates roof strength to help consumers pickvehicles with roofs that will hold up in a rollovercrash. Strong roofs reduce the risk of fatal orincapacitating injury in a rollover. Ratings beganwith 2008-09 models. Head restraints — Pick a model with a goodseat/head restraint rating to reduce whiplashinjuries in a rear-end collision. Vehicles withseat/head restraint combinations rated goodby IIHS have 15 percent fewer insurance claims
RESOURCESUsed vehicles for teens iihs.org/teenvehiclesVehicle ratings and awards iihs.org/ratingsESC and side airbags iihs.org/safety-featuresCrash avoidance iihs.org/crash avoidancefor neck injuries than vehicles with poor ratings.You can help increase protection by adjustingthe head restraint to correctly fit your head. Electronic stability control – Buy a vehicle withESC. It’s standard on 2012 and newer modelsand available on many earlier ones. An extension of antilock brake technology, ESC engagesautomatically to help drivers maintain control oncurves and slippery roads. ESC lowers the risk ofa fatal single-vehicle crash by about half and therisk of a fatal rollover by as much as 80 percent. Recalls – Check for recalls before buying, andmake sure repairs are made (www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues).
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